Chithra Prabha Peachi Muthu Login and Networking Services for Online Multiplayer Games Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Master’s Degree in Engineering Information Technology Master’s Thesis in Information Technology 14 October 2015 PREFACE The research started in 2012, exploring networking features for an online multiplayer game. Initially an understanding of the requirements of the login services required to involve a higher number of users online was explored. Multiplayer Game development using unity tool was experimented. Login and Networking services for a unity game were implemented. Also, various networking features supported in a unity game were studied. The possibility of using login and networking services supported in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for online games was studied. IMS is one of the established frame- works available for communication and messaging applications for millions of users. A study was carried out to analyse the usage of authentication methods using the SIP protocol for games. The main objective of the research was to study the networking needs in the multiplayer game, implement the secure login services, and check for the possibilities of using the IMS Platform Architecture with the SIP Protocol for login services in multiplayer games. In the study the Authentication and Messaging methods in SIP were compared with the login and networking services supported by the Azure Platform and Photon Gaming Plat- form, as these platforms are very actively being used in the multiplayer games developed using the Unity tool. The research gives details of ways to implement login services and networking features using the unity game development tool, and compares it with the usage of the SIP pro- tocol for login services. The study also indicated that some of the features in the IMS framework could provide better solutions for networking and communication in games, when compared to other protocols used in the game understudy. This would help the game team to look for a different perspective for authentication and networking features in future This research would have not been possible without many individuals, whom I wish to give my sincere thanks, and to mention the most important ones, my mother who trav- elled to Finland from India when I needed her help to go for studies, my supervisor Ville Jääskeläinen and Vulpine Games. Espoo, October 14, 2015 Chithra Prabha Abstract Author(s) Chithra Prabha Peachi Muthu Title Login and Networking Services for Online Multiplayer Games Number of Pages 62 pages + 5 Appendices Date 14 October 2015 Degree Master’s Degree in Engineering Degree Programme Information Technology Specialisation option Instructor Ville Jääskeläinen, Principal Lecturer The aim of the thesis was to study login and networking services for online multiplayer games using the unity tool. In the thesis, the authentication, communication and networking protocols supported in the unity game development tool were studied and experimented. And an analysis of the possibility to use the SIP protocol for the login services was done. A game development team from a game company, Vulpine Games Oy, was Identified with the help of a lecturer in Metropolia. With the team the game design and architecture of the game development team was studied. The SIP protocol which provides the authentication and chat features was studied and compared with the authentication and messaging capabilities in the game understudy. The game understudy was designed to use the Azure Windows plat- form, with a photon server for networking, with authentication using the login of users with Facebook accounts. Hence in the research work with the game development team, the login with Facebook token and secure storage of the token was prototyped and studied. In the research many aspects of game design and development were studied, mainly the game development for multi platforms with the Unity 3D development tool. In the research the secure storage of the game data and the login credentials were prototyped. In the research the advantage of various login and networking methods in Azure Platform, Photon Platform and the SIP protocol of IMS framework were experimented and compared. The results of the study include the implementations of login services for the game under- study and suggestions on the benefits of using IMS for multiplayer games. The discussion with the game team understudy led to better understanding of the architecture of the game, advantage and disadvantage of using the different methods of login services and in future how the game could be benefit from using IMS as well, along with other platforms, and be able to involve more users in their game. The outcome of the thesis also includes prototyping of functionalities such as authentication and secure data storage, SIP server and client setup. Keywords IMS ,Photon, SIP, Unity , Multiplayer Games 1 (4) Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Research Approach 3 3 Technology Background 6 3.1 History and Basics of Game Design and Development 6 3.2 Multiplayer Game Architecture and Components 8 3.4 Web Sockets 16 3.5 Azure Platform 18 3.6 Photon Platform 22 Photon Server SDK 24 Photon Azure SDK (PASK) 24 Photon Unity Networking (PUN) 27 3.7 Unity Game Development Tool 27 3.8 IMS Architecture 28 3.9 SIP Protocol 32 SIP Components 36 3.10 IMS Gaming Platform 39 4 Implementations 43 4.1 SIP Setup 43 SIP Server and Database Setup 44 4.1.2 SIP Client SetUp 47 SIP Protocol in Games 47 4.2 Unity Game Development 47 Secure Storage of Game Data 48 Secure Login Using Facebook with Unity 50 Azure Mobile Services 53 4.3 Summary 56 5 Further Development 58 2 (4) REFERENCES APENDICES Appendix 1. Instructions for SIP Setup in simple methods. Appendix 2. SIP Client SetUp. Appendix 3. Steps for Facebook SDK integration to Unity Game. Appendix 4. Creating Azure Mobile Service Appendix 5: Steps to try the Azure plugin (BitRave) sample with Unity LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Research Execution Flowchart ....................................................................... 3 Figure 2 Internet Application Usage statistic graph in Mobile Phones [1] ...................... 7 Figure 3 Multiplayer Game Component [4].................................................................... 9 Figure 4 Game Client Component and Connections [4] .............................................. 10 Figure 5 Functional Description Components of a Sample Game [5] .......................... 11 Figure 6 Game Server Components [4] ...................................................................... 12 Figure 7 Communication Framework using WebSocket [7] ......................................... 17 Figure 8 Azure Authorization components [8] ............................................................. 19 Figure 9 Azure Access Control Services for Games [9]............................................... 21 Figure 10 Access Control Service for Azure Platform Services [10] ............................ 22 Figure 11 Photon High Level Architecture [11] ............................................................ 24 Figure 12 OSI Layer Model for IMS [14] ...................................................................... 30 Figure 13 IMS Framework Layers Model [15] ............................................................. 31 Figure 14 Function View of IMS Framework [16]......................................................... 32 Figure 15 Internet Multimedia Protocol Stack [18] ....................................................... 36 Figure 16 SIP Trapezoid [19] ...................................................................................... 37 Figure 17 Overview of Model Gaming Platform using IMS SIP protocol [21] ............... 40 Figure 18 Model Session Signals in a Game using SIP protocol [21] .......................... 41 Figure 19 SIP Protocol Setup...................................................................................... 43 Figure 20 Game Data Storage Components ............................................................... 50 Figure 21 Login Screen............................................................................................... 51 Figure 22 Azure Mobile Services Authentication Overview [27] .................................. 53 Figure 23 Overview of Usage of Azure Mobile Service for Unity games ...................... 55 3 (4) ABREVATION ASR Advanced Speech Recognition CSP Cryptographic Service Provider DB Database DES Data Encryption Standard DTMF Dual-tone multi-frequency signalling GPL General Public Licence GSMA Group Special Mobile Association HTTP Hyper Text Transfer Protocol IETF Internet Engineering Taskforce IMS Internet Multimedia Subsystem IP Internet Protocol ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISUP ISDN User Part Mbone Multicast backbone NAT Network Address Translation PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network RFC Request for Comments 4 (4) RUDP Reliable User Datagram Protocol SCTP Stream Control Transmission Protocol SDP Session Description Protocol SDK Software Development Kit SIP Session Initiation Protocol TCP Transmission Control protocol TLS Transport Layer Security. TTS Text-to-Speech UA User Agent UAC User Agent Client UAS User Agent Server UDP User Datagram protocol URI Uniform Resource Identifier VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol XCAP XML Configuration Access Protocol XML Extensible Markup Language 1 (62) 1 Introduction Internet has changed the ways how communication between communities takes place. With new technologies and frameworks over